Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
[Institutional Affiliation(s)]
Author Note
Key
Diseases
Our family has several chronic diseases running within the family line. However, these
diseases do not seem to be automatically passed on. But, there are chances that predisposing
factors may make them be transmitted or acquired during the lifetime of family members.
Therefore, due caution needs to be taken in form of healthy lifestyles to reduce the chances of the
diseases being acquired. From the family tree, Diabetes, Hypertension, Lung cancer and asthma
can be seen to exist in the family. Some of these diseases have claimed lives such as lung cancer,
loss of limbs such as amputation of my half-sister and loss of a baby as a result of Hypertension.
Some diseases are more common than the others. For example, diabetes seems to affect more
members of the family than any other disease. To that end, prevention seems like a better option
than treatment. Some of the unhealthy lifestyles affecting my family include alcoholism, obesity,
smoking and lack of exercise. Poor die is also a problem especially for those members who like
Diabetes
The disease affects about 422 million people worldwide (Mathers & Loncar, 2006). From our
FAMILY TREE 4
family history, we are a contributor to this shocking statistics. Some of the risk factors associated
with the disease are family history of which we qualify. Another risk factor is obesity and lack of
exercise. The risk factors in our family are very high and some family members have acquired
the disease over the years. This includes my brother and half-sister who had to undergo leg
amputation. The risk factors to her include, being overweight, ethnic background, in that she has
African American heritage. The hereditary aspect in that it runs deep in my family from my
mother’s side and to a certain degree it also exists on my father’s side. Therefore risk of
Prevention of Diabetes
Weight is one of the most dangerous predisposing factors to diabetes. Reducing the body
weight by 10% leads to a reduction in the chances of getting the disease by 50% % (“Simple
Steps to Preventing Diabetes | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health,” n.d.). Additionally, exercising can also help reduce the chances of developing diabetes
disease. It helps the muscles to absorb glucose hence reducing the concentration levels thus
lowering the risk (“How Does Exercise Reduce the Risk of Diabetes? | LIVESTRONG.COM,”
n.d.). Eating a healthy diet is another way to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. According
to American Diabetes Association, healthy eating has more benefits than any other preventive
measures in prevention of diabetes (“Improving Diet Quality Reduces Risk for Type 2 Diabetes:
Hypertension
This condition is characterized by increase in the blood pressure. This leads to stroke or
heart attack. This condition runs in our family. Currently, there are two members suffering from
it while my paternal grandfather died of heart attack while driving under the influence of alcohol.
The maternal grandmother who we consider as a fighter is also suffering from a stroke that
FAMILY TREE 5
resulted from hypertension. The condition also led to my cousin having a stillbirth. It is a very
serious and life threating condition which has already taken one of our family member. Some of
the predisposing factors include smoking and alcoholism which is prevalent in my family.
Prevention of hypertension
Some of the methods of preventing hypertension include quitting smoking, reduced alcohol
intake, and reduced salt intake. Balanced diet also helps prevent the risk of hypertension.
Physical activity also helps prevent hypertension as well as regulate weight (“Preventing High
Lung Disease
Our family also seems to be plagued by lung diseases. My paternal grandmother died of
lung cancer, while my father died of asthmatic attack. Despite being faced by the eminent danger
of developing lung diseases, there are various factors predisposing my family members to this
disease. The major risk is smoking which is a prevalent problem in the family. Not only do the
smokers risk themselves, they also endanger others through secondary smoking. Asthma is
caused by obstruction of the windpipe. The disease affects about 4-8% of patients over the age of
65 years (Akgun, Crothers & Pisani 2012). Heavy smoking can cause the development of the
Prevention of asthma includes treatment and vaccination from pneumonia, and avoiding
allergens that trigger an attack. Although you cannot prevent lung cancer, you can reduce the
risk by quitting smoking. Quitting smoking is also beneficial because it allows the damaged lung
to repair itself. For non-smokers, keeping away from smokers can help reduce the impacts of
secondary smoking. In most places there are rules against smoking in public and therefore,
avoiding smoking zones can greatly help reduce the amount of exposure to tobacco.
FAMILY TREE 6
References
Akgun, K. M., Crothers, K., & Pisani, M. (2012). Epidemiology and Management of Common
How Does Exercise Reduce the Risk of Diabetes? | LIVESTRONG.COM. (n.d.). Retrieved
Improving Diet Quality Reduces Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: American Diabetes Association®.
releases/2014/improving-diet-quality-reduces-risk-for-type-2-diabetes.html
Mathers, C. D., & Loncar, D. (2006). Projections of Global Mortality and Burden of Disease
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030442
Preventing High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Healthy Living Habits | cdc.gov. (n.d.).
Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/diabetes-
prevention/preventing-diabetes-full-story/#weight-control